The Clans
Clan is a term used by vampires to describe the major groups of Cainites who share common characteristics passed on by the blood. There are 13 known clans, each of which was reputedly founded by an Antediluvian, a member of the Third Generation. The 13 major clans From the Dark Medieval into the modern nights, the thirteen recognized clans are: * Clan Assamite - silent masters of assassination, killing for hire and collecting blood for rituals to bring them closer to their progenitor. * Clan Brujah - once philosopher-kings of an ancient civilization, but are now rebels and rogues with a fearsome inclination toward frenzy. * Followers of Set - venerate a chthonic god while seeking out the world’s secret places and protecting ancient artifacts. * Clan Gangrel - bestial and untamed, often coming to resemble the animals over which they demonstrate mastery. * Clan Giovanni - an insular family of vampires who practice the art of commanding the dead while commanding global finances, as they have since the Renaissance. * Clan Lasombra - proud nobles who command the very essence of darkness and shadow — to the point of worshiping it, some say. * Clan Malkavian - a clan fractured by madness, each member irrevocably suffering under the yoke of insanity. * Clan Nosferatu - hideously disfigured by the Embrace, so they keep to the sewers shadows and traffic in the secrets they collect. * Clan Ravnos - nomads and tricksters who can force the mind to see what isn’t there, though they are slaves to the vices they indulge in. * Clan Toreador - Cainites that enjoy every sensual pleasure the world has to offer, idolizing physical beauty and the adoration of their thralls. * Clan Tremere - vampiric sorcerers that wield the supernatural power of their past as a hermetic house, though they became vampires through treachery and artifice. * Clan Tzimisce - eldritch Old World lords who have little in common with the mortal world and can manipulate flesh and bone at a whim. * Clan Ventrue - observe the noblesse oblige of vampire society, though their entitlement and greed encourages them to seek ever more at the expense of others. There is some ambiguity in the standards that determine clanhood. Two of the above lineages, the Giovanni and Tremere, are actually recent replacements, having begun as bloodlines of established clans and risen to clan status within the last millennium after mostly wiping out Clan Cappadocian and Clan Salubri, respectively. Even though members of these fallen clans may yet survive, with their numbers so small and their Antediluvians destroyed they have been relegated to bloodline status, particularly as knowledge of their existence is gradually forgotten. On the other hand, several clans have held onto their positions despite the fact that their Antediluvians are believed to be dead. Likewise, the Ravnos are nearly extinct following the destruction of their progenitor during the Week of Nightmares, but they are still considered a clan (though some speculate that another bloodline will rise to take their place).